W705Biosynthesis of Flavonoids Protects Wheat from Powdery Mildew Infection
Time: 3:10 PM
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China， 2CAS Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Centre for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
*Corresponding Author：Tel: (+8621) 51630758; Fax: (+8610) 51630521
Email: jygou@fudan.edu.cn
Biogenic flavonoids were widely reported in wheat resistance to fungal pathogens with some of them having antimicrobial functions in other cereal crops. However, in wheat, their specific functions have not yet been defined. In this study, we built a spring Durum wheat EMS mutant library and screened for mutants with altered flavonoids contents. Mutants with both significantly increase or decrease flavonoids were isolated firstly by an intact high-through-put screening. These mutants were then verified by a colorimetric method. HPLC analyses showed a wide array of changes in flavonoids profiles, such as increase or decrease in levels of most compounds, addition or disappearance of one group of compounds. The change in flavonoids was most likely independent of lignin deposition in the cell wall, as over 70% of the high flavonoids mutants are indistinguishable from control plants in their total lignin contents. Unexpectedly, more than 85% of the mutants with increased flavonoids had less powdery mildew in field, while 2/3 mutants with decreased flavonoids had more powdery mildew than control plants, suggesting a negative correlation between flavonoids contents and powdery mildew growth rates in planta. In the Pearson correlation analysis, 3 flavonoids compounds displayed very significant positive correlation with powdery mildew resistance, with luteolin 6-C-glucoside as a potent protective compound in planta. Taken together, our data demonstrate that flavonoids play an important role in wheat against powdery mildew, and therefore, these mutants with high flavonoids contents are excellent genetic resources for fungal resistant wheat breeding.
Key Words: Durum wheat, EMS mutant, Flavonoids, Lignin, Powdery mildew, Luteolin.